1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to couplings and more particularly to one of at least one improved hinge coupling of, for example, a rib of an umbrella in which one of two sections of the coupling is adapted to fold toward the other to be parallel therewith for saving storage space.
2. Description of Related Art
Foldable products are well known. For example, ribs of an umbrella are foldable toward its shank. Moreover, in another example one of at least one coupling of the rib is formed as a hinge one (i.e., foldable). Typically, the hinge coupling comprises a flat portion at one end of its either section. A hole is formed at either end. A fastener (e.g., rivet) is driven through the holes for hingedly coupling them together. However, the prior art is disadvantageous since (i) the rivet fastening is a time consuming and low yield process and (ii) a parallel folding of the sections is not possible. This in turn compromises the purpose of saving storage space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,155 disclosed a hinge coupling of FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastics) umbrella rib having the advantage of eliminating the above (i) drawback. However, the above (ii) drawback is still not addressed. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.